REVIEW: Sideshow Barker Pugzee

Background

Dave Cortes and Inu Art have released the third colorway of their Pugzee character. The Sideshow Barker Pugzee puts a new spin on the diminutive – yet imposing – pug. This version is a joint effort with artist Brandy Anderson, who’s responsible for the killer tattoo scheme on the character.

This version of Pugzee Pays tribute to another Legendary Brooklyn neighborhood, Coney Island. Just like Red Hook, Coney Island has been through its own transformations, from Luna to Steeple Chase Park to Coney Island. Throughout Coney's changes, one thing remained, a fixture of Coney Island, the sideshows. What Pugzee is to Red Hook is what Sideshow Barker is to Coney Island.

Unlike the Jailbreaker and Street Wise versions of Pugzee, which were boxed, the Sideshow Barker Pugzee is bagged and carded. The background card is actually the same as the header card. It features information about the artists, as well as some great Carney-style illustrations. Since you get so many accessories with the figure, the bag ends up being rather jam-packed.

Our Opinion

This is definitely a different take on the cute little pug we previously saw dressed like a convict and a streetwise mutt. And while the sculpt is the same, that’s where the similarities end.

Instead of a gray figure, Dave and Brandy have gone with a peach/yellow shade on the Sideshow Barker Pugzee. The cigar and baseball bat are the same color as the figure, while the hat is now red with black highlights. Gone are the thought bubbles, dry erase pen and comic, and say hello to Vinny Hotdogs (in one of forty different colorways). The base is now a boardwalk and the figure has gone from boxed to bagged.

But the biggest difference is the most obvious – the tattoo work. The Sideshow Barker Pugzee is covered from head to toe in tats. Every time you look at the figure, you’re bound to find a little nuance you hadn’t previously noticed. The paintwork on the rotocast portion of the figure seems to be a little crisper than the injection molded arms and legs.

The only issue I see is that this version of Pugzee still has the slot for the thought bubbles…but doesn’t include them. It’s not that bad if you bought one of the previous versions, since they have extras. But it would have been great if they made use of this sculpt feature. (In all honesty…they would have had to get a larger bag to include all of those accessories).

While I like Brandy Anderson’s intricate tattooed paint scheme, I still lean towards the Street Wise Pugzee as my favorite version. Living in a five dog house, it’s probably because that one looks like most dog-like. Although a Nathan’s hotdog eating rat named Vinny Hotdogs makes it an overall tossup.